In an interview from three weeks ago recently made available to English readers, Saeb Ereqat, the head of the PA's Negotiations Department, projected a confident attitude. Reflecting over the last offer made by the former Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, the Palestinian opined that Israel's political will was eroding to the extent that there would be no need for any Arab concessions on territory, the right of Arab return, or monetary compensation to fugitives and their descendants.
Saeb Ereqat made his assessment without any reference to the pressure being placed upon the government of Israel (GOI) by the Obama administration. Had he done so his confidence might have been greater. Adding in the recent Solana Ultimatum and today's partial embargo by the UK on weapons sales to Israel would have boosted the confidence index to stratospheric levels.
Among the critical points made by Ereqat was the continuation of the Palestinian demand that Israel recognise the PA's sovereignty over all of the West Bank territories seized by the IDF from Jordan during the Six Day War. He contended that this recognition must precede any talks of land swaps such as that proposed by the fading Olmert ministry at the end of nearly two hundred meetings under the provisions of the Annapolis agreements.
The land exchange proposed by Olmert would have seen the small land areas currently housing the overwhelming majority of Israeli citizens in the new West Bank "settlements" for an equal number of square kilometers of unused land as well as a passage zone thirty klicks long and 150 meters wide linking the Gaza Strip with the PA's West Bank territory. Ereqat did not make any objection to this proposal in principle but stated categorically that it could come only after the Israeli recognition of complete PA sovereignty over all the land in question.
What the PA negotiations chief left unmentioned was one simple, small but critical fact. In the event that Israel recognised PA sovereignty over all the territories in question there would be no impetus for the PA to undertake the land exchange. The PA would have all the land including that occupied by Israeli citizens under their full, absolute, and legal control. They could have their cake and eat it too as the old cliche runs.
GOI would be out of its collective mind were it to grant the demanded recognition on nothing more than a PA promise that the land swap would be worked out later. Nothing in the history of Israel indicates that any government no matter what the external pressures might be and regardless of the desire for peace would surrender the fate of nearly 200,000 Israelis to the mercies of the new Arab state.
This would remain the case in the unlikely event that the Palestinian entity swore mighty oaths that Israeli Jews would enjoy all the rights, privileges, and immunities of their Arab colleagues and could continue the quiet enjoyment of their residences and businesses in the "settlements." The first duty of GOI is the protection of Israelis. So the Palestinian demand is both a non-starter and a deal killer.
Even the hyper-confident Ereqat must know this. He has to be hoping that the combination of external pressure by the US and EU coupled with the continued annoyances from his Hamas counterparts in Gaza will continue the slow, steady enervation of Israeli political will which he so obviously believes to be a continuing process.
Another point which Ereqat makes repeatedly is the requirement for both some sort of Arab "right of return" for those displaced from what is now indisputably Israeli territory during the 1948 and 1967 wars. He also asserts that financial compensation for those who do not wish to exercise their "right" must be forthcoming. Importantly, both the "right of return" and the compensation are not limited to those directly affected, but includes descendants without limit so the forty-six great-grand children of an Arab who heeded the call of his brothers to flee so that he could return with the victorious Arab armies would be entitled to full compensation or the right to move back to the old family house (which is now a multi-story apartment block or a shopping center.)
Repeat after the Geek, please, "Non-starter and deal killer."
Turning to political matters, Ereqat spins a fine piece of sophistry regarding Hamas. In his view there is no requirement that Hamas change one single syllable of its charter (which calls for the destruction of Israel) even though it won election in the Gaza Strip and, after expelling the PA by force of arms, has acted as sovereign in the district. No, opines Ereqat, all that is required by the assorted UN Resolutions as well as the agreements undertaken in Madrid, Oslo, Annapolis, and sundry other points is that the PA acknowledge Israel's right to exist with defined borders in peace with its neighbors.
Well, golly, perhaps Mr Ereqat believes that bit of tendentious reasoning, but it is more than simply difficult for a less biased and involved person to accept it. Practically speaking, Hamas is commensual with the Fatah originated PA.
The blood-and-guts view of life espoused by Hamas is at least as popular on the Arab street as the give-the-appearance-of-peace-a-chance stance tactically adopted by the PA. The same might be said of the Islamist purist approach of Hamas, but the jury is out on that one. In any event, by isolating Hamas in the way Ereqat does, the PA can take the ostensible high road while winking at Hamas conducted or inspired terror attacks on Israel.
Saeb Ereqat indicates that the PA is just as ready, willing, and able to fight as is Hamas. He allowed that following the establishment of Palestine there would be no reason why the PA could not fight alongside Hamas and others to establish a unified Arab state, a new caliphate. This posture is difficult to reconcile with a man or an organisation dedicated to the peaceful ending of a long standing conflict. Neither does it indicate any basic predisposition to live in harmony with a Jewish state.
Only once, at the very end of the interview does Mr Ereqat show any slackening of ebullient confidence. That is on the subject of Iran. Clearly, the PA sees Iran as a major, perhaps the single most important, supporter of the PA. But, he fears the US effort to positively engage the Iranians in conversation might fail. He sought to reassure any American who might read his analysis by quoting the former head of the IAEA, Mohammad ElBaradei, as telling him that it would take Iran "fourteen to sixteen years" to acquire an atomic bomb. So, he advises, "We must change this worn out record."
Right, dude. For sure. And, the Netanyahu ministry is all ready to toss in the towel and turn over a whole bunch of Israelis to your violence prone, quite anti-Semitic excuse for a government.
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